A-Z of surf

Amped

With the indie underground currently swooning to the sun bleached beach-pop of Best Coast, Real Estate and Wavves, time to look deeper at the '60s sound that so influences it - surf!

A is for… Amped

According to surf guitar deity Dick Dale, he blew the nuts off 48 Fender amps before he managed to persuade Leo Fender and his designer Freddy Tavares to build him a more powerful unit. Leo and Freddy came up with an 85-watt output transformer that peaked at 100-watts and coupled it with a specially designed 15-inch JBL speaker.

Dick’s new Fender Showman amp gave him the volume he needed to own his audiences’ eardrums and we all got more powerful backline as a result.

Interesting fact: Freddy Tavares played the famous steel guitar lick at the beginning of every Looney Tunes cartoon - check this YouTube clip for proof. Th-Th-Th-That’s all folks!

A is also for… The Ambassadors

The Ambassadors were a British instrumental band of the early '60s that recorded a couple of great surf tunes for legendary producer and troubled genius, Joe Meek. The tracks, Surfin’ John Brown and Big Breaker, are available on the Joe Meek: The RGM Legacy - Portrait of a Genius boxset. Worth seeking out if only for the otherworldly guitar sounds and righteous drumming.

Black Sand Beach

Check Yūzō's cool Mosrite and custom pick on this single sleeve

B is for… Black Sand Beach

Multi-talented Yūzō was also an actor, starring in a series of ‘Wakadaish’ ('Young General') movies: a Japanese take on teen scene flicks like Beach Blanket Bingo and Cliff Richard’s camp classic, Summer Holiday (1963). Seven Samurai director, Akira Kurosawa, even cast Yūzō in a couple of his films.

While he was obviously no slouch in front of the camera, it’s Yūzō's awesome Mosrite guitar and Teisco amp tone on Black Sand Beach that’ll keep this Japanese surf master on our Xmas card list.

B is also for… The Bambi Molesters

It’s almost impossible to think of great surf music without conjuring up images of, er, Croatia. Well, it will be after you hear The Bambi Molesters. Brilliantly daft name aside, these guys have nailed the classic surf sound in a big way. The band’s new album As The Dark Wave Swells is released 19 July 2010 and it’s a doozy.

Cowabunga!

You'll need some boss patter to stand a chance with this honey etc…

C is for… Cowabunga!

We’re talking rad surf wordage. It’s what separates the dweebs from the dudes, daddios. Anything else is just bogus, a bummer... certainly not boss. You won’t be impressing the honeys if you’re a geek, a dork or just plain gnarly. The beach bunnies won’t be stoked and you’ll just be another ‘hodad’ clogging up the beach for the real surfers.

C is also for… Charvel Surfcaster

Originally produced between 1992 and 1994, the Charvel Surfcaster guitar came across as a gene-splicing experiment between a Rickenbacker 360, a Fender Jazzmaster and a set of Danelectro lipstick tube pickups.

Available in vibrato-equipped, hardtail and 12-string formats, Charvel’s old school rocker preempted the retro guitar boom of the noughties. Feast your peepers on a recent custom shop Surfcaster right here. For more info on vintage Charvel guitars, visit www.charvelusa.com.

Dennis Wilson

Resissued in 2008 with the unreleased Bambu, this is one solo Beach Boy album you MUST own

D is for… Dennis Wilson

Beach Boy drummer Dennis Wilson was cooler than an ice lolly dressed like Elvis. He was the Beach Boy that actually surfed - it was Dennis who suggested that the group write about surfing in the first place.

Wilson played The Mechanic while fellow musician James Taylor portrayed The Driver. The movie follows the characters blasting across America in a ’55 Chevy earning money by street racing. Nothing much happens but it's very, very cool.

D is also for… Dick Heads

Dick Heads is the affectionate name adopted by the many obsessed fans of Dick Dale. Isn’t that nice? You can even buy badges and t-shirts emblazoned with the legend ‘I’m a Dick Head.’ Fans of James Blunt or <insert your own musical nemesis here> could probably work up their own versions too…

In other news, one of Dick’s fans has put together an interesting online museum dedicated to his hero - head here for info.

Eleki

'60s surf-pop Japanese-style: Takeshi Terauchi And The Bunnys

E is for… Eleki

Japan was a hot bed of killer surf or Eleki (‘electric guitar’) music in the early '60s. The Eleki movement was kicked off by The Ventures' 1962 visit to Japan.

We’ve already looked at Yūzō Kayama’s Black Sand Beach (see ‘B’). Well, Yūzō’s main rival was one Takeshi ‘Terry’ Terauchi. Terry tore it up Dick Dale-style on hits like Kanjincho (listen here) and a version of The Ventures' classic Diamond Head (listen here).

Both Yūzō and Terry are still going strong and so is the Japanese tradition of great instrumental guitar music. It surfs on in young bands like Rat Holic - their tune Fat Rat Surfer is killer.

E is also for… Early days

Surf didn’t come out of nowhere. Credit for the big twangy guitar sound goes to Duane Eddy and his producer, and cult singer/songwriter, Lee Hazlewood. Tracks like Eddy’s 1958 recording of Ramrod (watch a 1974 version here) laid the foundation for the surf music that followed.

Fender

Jazzmasters, Jaguars, Strats… Fender is the real king of surf guitar

F is for… Fender

For most aficionados Fender guitars are knitted into the DNA of surf guitar music. It’s the bright response of those single-coil pickups through a reverb-drenched Fender amp that delivers the archetypal surf tone.

The vibrato arm is essential too which explains why the Telecaster has never been as popular with surf guitarists as the Stratocaster, Jaguar and Jazzmaster models that have always topped their wish-lists.

F is also for… Five-O!

That’s as in Hawaii Five-O, a cracking police drama with a killer theme tune (listen here for proof) that ran from 1968 to 1980. The Ventures play a cool surf version of said theme, complete with some sizzling drumming, tasty guitar licks and terrible shirts - check it out here. Book ‘em Dano! What do you mean you’ve never heard that line before? Dude, we must be getting old…

Guitar Porn!

Guaranteed to send your GAS-ometer into the red!

G is for... Guitar Porn!

In the late '50s and early '60s Fender guitars became especially beautiful, resplendent in the same Dupont paints used on Cadillac, Chevrolet and Chrysler cars. Fender guitars were designed to be practical but that didn’t mean they couldn’t look their best. Custom colours and details like matching headstocks rocketed Fender desirability into the stratosphere.

G is also for... Gorgonzola

As in cheesy. Californian surfing culture was cool, hip… switched on. Not that you’d get that from the ‘spawn of The Stepford Wives' vibe of '60s teen surf movies. The classic example is Beach Blanket Bingo (check the original trailer via YouTube) with teen idol Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello singing about blankets made for two. Seriously. For more shoreline-based disasters, head to SlateV's frightening rundown of The Worst Beach Movies Ever.

Hank Marvin

Hank himself, appropriately attired for the beach

H is for... Hank Marvin

Hugely influential British legends Hank Marvin and his group The Shadows are regarded more as a instrumental combo than a surf band by their legion of fans. That distinction was slight enough that the band were marketed as a surf group in the USA.

A pair of compilation albums, The Shadows Know and Surfing with The Shadows, were released Stateside to capitalise on the success of homegrown talent like The Ventures, Dick Dale And His Del-Tones and The Surfaris.

You can hear how they might have given California’s surf stars sleepless nights in Hank’s stunning Stratocaster tones on songs like Wonderful Land - click here for a classic YouTube clip from the Rudi Carell Show in 1962.

H is also for… Haulin’ Hearse

Haulin’ Hearse (listen here) is a song by spooky surf band The Ghastly Ones. Formed in Van Nuys, California in 1996 The Ghastly Ones mix classic surf sounds with an old school horror movie image. The group’s lead guitarist Garrett ‘Dr Lehos’ Immel collects and restores vintage Fender and Mosrite gear.

Influence

Surf fan Keith Moon in full Hawaiian shirt. Erm, hang on…

I is for… Influence

The influence of surf music is everywhere. You can hear it echoed in the TV spy themes of the '60s and in the drumming of Keith Moon of The Who.

Moon was such a huge surf fan that he bought Dick Dale and Beach Boys records by mail order from the States. Over the years he would on occasion run through The Beach Boys' version of Barbara Ann with the rest of The Who. Don't believe us? Watch this YouTube treat!

You can also hear the influence of surf in the beautiful guitar work on Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game - and thus a good excuse to watch this classic music video. Hey, it was even shot on a beach!

I is also for… International

You want international surf music? We’ve discussed bands from the likes of the US, UK, Japan and Croatia so let’s throw another nation into the mix. We proudly present Rumblefish from Istanbul in Turkey - their tune Last Wave is great!

Joe Satriani

J is for… Joe Satriani

Okay, the closest Joe Satriani’s 1987 album Surfing With The Alien comes to being a surf record is having the word ‘surfing’ in the title. Oh, and there's a surfboard on the cover. But Satch’s second LP is relevant because it proved that instrumental guitar music could sell to people that weren’t just guitarists.

The album reached number 29 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1987. The following album 1989’s Flying In A Blue Dream did even better. So, the lesson appears to be, even if you can’t find a decent singer you still have a chance of scoring big. Just ask Joe.

J is also for… James Bond

Spy guitar was an offshoot of surf music. The classic guitar tone used by Vic Flick when he recorded the James Bond theme is pure surf. In fact, drop the horns, stick Animal from The Muppets in on drums and you’ve got a tidy wee surf track there - watch this Surf King clip for proof. That said, not sure John Barry would approve…

King of the Surf Guitar

The Sundazed reissue of Dick's classic 1963 album

K is for... King of the Surf Guitar

No guitarist has made a bigger contribution to the sound and folklore of surf guitar music than The King Of The Surf Guitar - the mighty Mr Dick Dale!

There’s nothing ordinary about Dale. He plays a left-handed Fender Stratocaster, strung the ‘wrong way’ around with heavy ass strings - .016, .018, .020, .038, .048 and .058 - at the kind of volume that could knock an elephant on its side.

Dick can be arrogant and refers to himself in the third person (your author has heard him do it!) but he just knows how great he is. Let’s face it, surf guitar could never have happened without him.

K is also for... Killers!

Jimi Hendrix allegedly once boasted that he’d killed surf music but it was doomed as soon as The Beatles hit the US in 1964. Surf mutated in garage rock and America’s greatest band, The Beach Boys, moved with the times and released records that challenged The Beatles every step of the way. But the current global surf scene is testament to the fact that the music didn’t die… it was just hibernating.

Los Straitjackets

Channeling their inner Santos, it's Nashville's finest beach lovers

L is for… Los Straitjackets

Formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1988, Los Straitjackets are a brilliant surf group featuring guitarists Eddie Angel and Danny Amis, bassist Pete Curry and drummer Jason ‘Teen Beat’ Smay. The group are famous for wearing Mexican wrestling masks.

Los Straitjackets have released a bunch of great records: Supersonic Guitars In 3D (2003) and 2007’s Rock En Español Vol. 1 are particularly essential.

The band also contributed a great cover of The Munsters Theme (listen here) to the 1998 Halloween Hootenanny album released on Rob Zombie’s Zombie A Go-Go Records, a great compilation that also features The Bomboras, The Ghastly Ones and the awesome Southern Culture On The Skids.

L is also for… Laramie Dean

Laramie Dean is a surf punk guitarist from New York. A Fender endorsee, Laramie uses more distortion than you’re average surf guitarist. His cover of Ghost Riders In The Sky (watch it live here) is typical of his approach. Subtle it ain’t.

Mosrite

Kurt Cobain and his rare Mosrite Gospel at Motorsports International Garage in Seattle, 1990

M is for… Mosrite

Mosrite guitars are as much a part of surf culture as Volkswagen campers and hot girls in bikinis. They were played by some of the cream of surf guitar - The Ventures and Yūzō Kayama for example - and gave Fender a run for their money in the heyday of surf music.

Founded in Bakersfield, California in the ‘50s by the late great Semie Moseley, Mosrite guitars had distinctive offset bodies, high output pickups and slim neck profiles. The guitars later became associated with famous users like Johnny Ramone (erm, The Ramones) and Kurt Cobain. The company is still in business - visit mosriteguitars.com for more.

M is also for… Mach IV

The Mach IV is a surf-style six-string made by DiPinto Guitars. The guitar is available in hardtail or vibrato-equipped formats in a range of colours. Surfing DiPinto players include Los Straitjackets (silver sparkle Galaxie 4 models), Dick Dale (lefty Belvedere) and The Dead Rocks, Brazil’s self-described "best surf music combo". Big words, Brazilian fellas…

Nokie Edwards

The Ventures self-titled second album from 1961

N is for… Nokie Edwards

While his guitar playing partner in The Ventures, Bob Bogle, sadly passed away in June 2009, Nokie Edwards is still touring with the band.

Born Nole Floyd Edwards in Oklahoma in 1935, Nokie played guitar with Bakersfield country legend Buck Owens in the late '50s before joining fellow guitarists Bogle and Don Wilson in The Ventures.

Orange County

Sun down, surf's up on Huntington Beach

O is for... Orange County

Although the genre is popular just about anywhere on the planet, Orange County, California is the spiritual home of surf music. Huntington Beach - or Surf City USA as it’s also known - has a Surfing Hall of Fame, a Hall of Fame and the International Surf Museum. These guys aren’t messing around!

The town even gets a shout-out in the Beach Boys classic Surfin‘ Safari (watch here), along with Malibu and various other surf locations. Huntingdon Beach also gets a mention in The Surfaris' Surfer Joe, as this jukebox clip attests.

O is also for… Obscure

Also, get your fill of the huge number of current surf bands on the Surf Music website or at Surf Band. Chances are you’ll find something you like.

Precision

The best bass for surf, and pretty much any other genre you'd care to name

P is for… Precision

We’re talking about the Fender Precision bass. While you may see old clips of surf bands toting Danelectro and Mosrite basses, the Fender Precision was by far the most popular four-string with the surf set.

The P Bass was born in 1951 as a four-string brother to the Telecaster. This early incarnation became best known as the ‘Telecaster Bass’ when it was later reissued in 1968. After rounding off the edges in 1953, Fender went for a full revamp of the P Bass in 1957, giving the instrument a contoured look to match the company’s Stratocaster guitar. A classic was born.

P is also for… Pipeline

Pipeline is a classic surf record by The Chantays. Here's a YouTube clip of the band performing the song on The Lawrence Welk Show in 1963, dressed like The Beatles for no apparent reason. Dick Dale and the late Texan blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughan later recorded the song as a guitar duet. Check out Dick’s incredible hair in this promo clip - terrifying!

Quentin Tarantino

Q is for… Quentin Tarantino

Love him or loathe him, Quentin Tarantino has great taste. He gave classic surf music the kiss of life when he used Dick Dale’s 1962 single Misirlou (watch it here) to kick off his 1994 movie Pulp Fiction.

While Dale’s appearance on the soundtrack no doubt added some new ‘Dick Heads’ to his fan base, there were other great surf tracks in Pulp Fiction. There was Bullwinkle Part II by The Centurians and the brilliant Surf Rider by The Lively Ones used in the closing scene of the film. Click here to turn back the clock.

Interviewed about his choice of music for Quentin Tarantino: The Cinema of Cool, Tarantino said, "To me (surf) just sounds like rock 'n' roll, even Morricone music. It sounds like rock 'n' roll spaghetti Western music…" Morricone or Mosrite, all we know is we like what we hear!

Rautalanka

R is for… Rautalanka

Rautalanka was a style of instrumental guitar music that was popular in Finland in the early '60s. Incidentally, ‘rautalanka’ is Finnish for ‘iron wire,’ as in electric guitar strings.

The music was heavily influenced by bands like The Shadows and The Ventures. Like those bands, rautalanka guitarists preferred the sound of single coil pickup so Fender Strats were popular.

The first rautalanka record was Emma by The Sounds (watch it here) which was released in 1963. Of course, The Beatles put paid to the instrumental rautalanka bands when they arrived on the scene, just like they had everywhere else in the world in 1964.

R is also for… Reverb

When he was busy pioneering the surf guitar sound Dick Dale claims he didn’t use reverb, he actually used the tremolo circuit on his Fender amplifier. Reverb has become the defining sound of surf guitar however. It makes the guitar signal sound wet… just like the sea, natch.

Surf Guitar 101

The guitarist's one-stop shop for all things twangy - Surf Guitar 101

S is for… Surf Guitar 101

Surf Guitar 101 is a website and podcast series dedicated to all things twangy, windswept and reverberated. The site has forums and news about shows and events. Surf Guitar 101 also holds a convention every August in Los Alamitos, California.

You can subscribe to the podcast series, which features bands from the '60s to present day, via iTunes or download episodes from the Surf Guitar 101 website. If you’re looking for a potent mix of surf music to dip your toe into this podcast is a great place to start. Tell ‘em we sent you.

S is also for… String music

String music was a genre of Thai pop music that was influenced by Western surf and instrumental rock band. The style was also known as 'shadow music' in honour of Cliff Richard’s old muckers, The Shadows. One of the movement's best-loved bands was The Son Of P.M. (listen here) - you can find out more about them and string music at this great fansite.

Tremolo picking

No stranger to tremolo picking, Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood

T is for… Tremolo picking

The second best exercise for your wrist, tremolo picking is a surf guitar essential. The technique was popularised by our old amigo Dick Dale. It’s since become a staple of metal guitar which is one reason why Dick is referred to as The Father of Heavy Metal by some folk.

The other reason is sheer volume (see ‘A’). Tremolo picking basically involves picking a guitar string back and forth quickly. The same technique is used by mandolin players. You can see Jason Lee of Next Level Guitar demonstrating tremolo picking on this clip.

So, what’s the other best exercise for your wrist? Why, skipping of course. What did you think we meant?

T is also for… The Trashmen

The Trashmen’s annoying classic Surfin’ Bird was a US top ten hit in 1963. A staple of Vietnam movie soundtracks, Surfin’ Bird was a mash-up of two songs by a band called The Rivingtons - namely, Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow and The Bird's The Word. The song’s appearance on Family Guy (click here, you know you want to…) in 2008 took it to number eight of the iTunes rock top ten.

Underground Fire

Is it surf or is it just great instrumental rock? You decide

U is for… Underground Fire

Underground Fire is a 1969 track by The Ventures. Now, we’ve obviously mentioned The Ventures elsewhere - and singled out Nokie Edwards for praise - but Underground Fire is worth checking out for a couple of reasons.

The first is that it illustrates how a great band can survive changes in musical fashion without compromising their core ethic - it’s not really surf, but it’s still an instrumental.

The other reason is to get you to listen to one of the most enjoyably ludicrous adverts for a record you’ll ever hear. Listen to this YouTube clip - and listen to the end. It’s worth it. It is, after all, a ‘harbinger of the flames… yet to come.’

U is also for… Unsteady Freddie

Unsteady Freddie is the host of an online surf-centric radio show called Twang Shebang. The show, which can be streamed or downloaded, features a cracking mix of modern surf bands from around the world. It’s infectious, baby!

The Ventures

From May 1963, The Ventures' classic album Surfing (Dolton)

V is for… The Ventures

Let’s just say, for argument's sake, that Dick Dale was surf’s greatest artist. That would make The Ventures its greatest band. The band’s legendary single Walk, Don’t Run (watch a live clip from 1964 here) is just one highlight in a career that’s still ongoing.

While the band never recaptured their fame in the US after the '60s ended, The Ventures remain big in Japan and still regularly tour there. In fact, the Japanese government awarded The Ventures the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays and Rosette in 2010 in recognition of their contribution to cultural exchange between the US and Japan.

V is also for… Vibrato

Wiggling a guitar’s vibrato arm is part of an essential surf trifecta that includes a sopping wet reverb sound and plenty of tremolo picking. Many guitarists refer to a guitar’s vibrato arm as a ‘tremolo’ and the tremolo effect produced by amplifiers and stomp boxes as ‘vibrato.’ That’s the wrong way round. This anomaly is attributed to Leo Fender who got the terms mixed up.

He was busy changing the world though, so we’ll let him off.

Woodies

The surfer's automobile of choice: the woody

W is for… Woodies

Produced by various manufacturers from the '30s to the early '50s these cars became hugely popular with surfers of the early '60s before they discovered Volkswagens. Woodies were cheap to buy and repair and, thanks to their sheer size, could hold plenty of people and their surfboards.

As Jan and Dean sang in their 1963 number one hit record Surf City (watch this amazing clip!), "I bought a '30 Ford wagon/And we call it a woody…"

Incidentally, the ‘EMHO’ woody that Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler sings about in F.I.N.E. from Pump (1989) is a different thing entirely…

W is also for… Wipe Out

Wipe Out, one of the best loved surf records of all time, was a 1963 hit for Glendora, California's most famous sons, The Surfaris (listen here). The song features some astonishing drumming from Ron Wilson who was only in his teens at the time of recording the tune. The solo was a sped up version of his Charter Oak High School marching band's drum cadence.

XXL

Have you ever seen a scarier wave? Wait 'til you see the video clip below!

X is for… XXL

While most of us are content to play surf music on cool guitars on dry land, real surfers obviously like to get their feet wet on occasion. Some seek out some truly XXL waves like this.

Australian surfwear manufacturer Billabong holds an annual XXL Big Wave Awards dedicated to these brave/reckless souls. That said, the winners do get $50,000 so it’s not all about risking a wipe out or sand facial. Some waves are truly monstrous - the video clip of this wave in particular is just… mental.

You don’t get many like that in Skegness.

X is also for… X Records

X Records was the label that released the first Beach Boys single, Surfin’ (listen here) in 1961. Until the single’s release the boys were known as The Pendletones. It was only when they received the first batch of singles that they noticed that someone at their record company had changed their name to The Beach Boys. It was too late to reprint the labels so the name stuck.

Yamaha SG7

Yamaha's SGV300 reissues - the 'S' might as well stand for 'surf'…

Y is for… Yamaha SG7

The SG7 was the first Yamaha electric guitar unleashed in 1966. Featuring an asymmetrical body with an elongated horn on the treble side and a hockey stick style headstock, the guitar was designed with the input of Japanese Eleki legend Takeshi ‘Terry’ Terauchi (see ‘E’).

The SG7 was reissued in 2000 as the SGV300 in a range of finishes: Black, Canary Yellow, Metallic Red and Pearl Green. A deluxe SG800 model was also released in the same year. It’s become a modern surf classic.

You can see the The Ghastly Ones battling Flying Saucers Over Van Nuys with their SGV300 guitars and matching SBV500 bass on this YouTube clip. Yeah, we want one too…

Y is also for… You Still Believe In Me

The beautiful second track from Pet Sounds (1966) by The Beach Boys, You Still Believe In Me is a testament to both the genius of Brian Wilson and to just how far the band had progressed since the days of Surfin’ Safari. Watch this Behind The Sounds documentary clip for the story behind the song.

Like The Beatles, The Beach Boys' music had matured far beyond only pleasing a teen audience… Although neither groups’ earlier efforts could hardly be written off as throwaway!

Zany!

Big Daddy Roth's classic cartoon creation - the mighty Rat Fink!

Z is for… Zany!

The surf scene produced its fair share of eccentric characters. As pioneers of the Kustom Kulture scene artists Ed ‘Big Daddy’ Roth and Kenny ‘Von Dutch’ Howard were two of the most important.

Both men are no longer with us but their influence can still be seen at every custom car and motorcycle show and on countless band posters.

Z is also for… Z-Surf

Z-Surf is a surfer resource site that posts user-submitted content. Some of the surfing videos and images are incredible. The site also features beach webcams just in case you miss being by the seaside - although surfers probably use the videos for a more practical reason…